The Garden Party
by WearerOfCapes
Summary: Vince and Howard have been together a month. When they are invited to a party, they think this would be the best time to tell their friends. But are they right? T to be safe or in case I swear without thinking.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Another new fic for you all! Established relationship for this one, which is a fairly new thing for me, so we'll just have to see how well it goes. It's meant to be cute, I hope it is, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter! **

**Disclaimer: The Mighty Boosh is not mine, if it was I suspect all this would have happened long ago...**

Howard walked down the stairs awkwardly. It had been a long time since he'd needed to wear a suit, and he wasn't comfortable in it. It was black, and slightly shiny, and didn't really suit him that well. But he stuck it out. He knew he wouldn't be as uncomfortable as Vince. Vince wasn't good with ordinary clothes. He didn't even own a suit; he had hired one instead. Just as Howard was remembering his struggle to get Vince to wear the suit, he came down the stairs. Howard smiled a little at the look on his face, and even more at the way he looked. The suit was plain black, like his own, but it suited Vince perfectly. It fitted to his skinny frame, but wasn't too tight. He also wore a brand new, pure white shirt, and a skinny black tie done up in a knot so tiny Howard wondered how he would undo it later.

"I hate wearing this." Vince muttered.

"Why? You look amazing." he smiled a little at the compliment, but said:

"It just feels weird. I don't see why we have to go anyway."

"It was your idea to tell them all then."

"Well, they've gotta know sometime, ain't they? As if it weren't obvious enough."

"People choose not to notice what they don't want to see, Vince."

"I know. Come on. We should go, or we'll be late."

"Since when have you cared about being late?"

"Since now."

"Well, one thing first." Howard took Vince's face in his hands and kissed him softly. Vince's hands crept to his waist and they stood in the embrace for a long, timeless moment. But in an instant, it was over. Breathlessly, they left Nabootique and carried on into the streets of Camden. Vince looked less bitter about his outfit now, and Howard began his routine study of him. He noticed that he hadn't put any eyeliner on, and it looked as though he didn't have any product in his hair either. Howard asked him if this was the case.

"Yeah," he replied, "I thought it was best to keep it simple."

"Let me feel." Vince nodded and Howard gently stroked his ebony locks.

"Wow." he said. "It's really soft."

"I know. It even surprised me."

"You surprise me every day, Vince Noir." Vince smiled and winked at him, and Howard took his hand. Since they got together, Howard had almost forgotten his hatred of being touched. Occasionally, it would pop up again, often at inappropriate times. But they would just wait for it to pass and carry on as normal. He had also become more relaxed, more willing to have fun. He'd even agreed to having a party, although he'd left the arrangements to Vince. Vince had actually calmed down a little. He'd grown up in a way. Now that he'd found love, real, pure, true love, it seemed that he didn't need to be childish. Of course, he still annoyed Howard sometimes, or took the piss out of him, but he wouldn't be Vince if he didn't. Everything was how it should be: perfect.

The garden was set up beautifully. A huge hexagonal gazebo sat in the middle of the lawn, its inner frame twined with fairy lights which glowed soft pale yellow. A low cast iron table and six cushioned chairs had been placed in the centre. The quiet chatter of the other guests mingled with the twilit sounds of the city; distant sirens, footsteps, cars. No music played, but none needed to. The scene was wonderful enough as it was. The whole party resided under frames of soft gauzy netting to keep the insects away. As Vince and Howard walked through this, they also noticed that there were a few candles lit on the low table, filling the area with scents of vanilla, cinnamon and honey. Howard recognised the smell somehow, but didn't quite realise how until he pulled Vince closer to him and caught another wisp of it. It was Vince's smell. He breathed in deeply and looked around. He didn't want to forget this scene. Even if things didn't go as planned, this party would be one to remember. Vince was standing there smiling and waving at people.

"Do you know everyone?" Howard joked.

"Pretty much." Was the totally serious reply. Howard laughed.

"Yeah. You and your popularity."

"I know. Anyway, it was Jada who invited us. She's my friend."

"Good point."

"Come on. We'd better mingle. Or it'll look weird. We can't just stand here like a couple o' well dressed lemons."

"It's not like we had a choice. The dress code was formal."

"Yeah, well. Come on, I'll introduce you to some of my mates." he stood on his toes to see over the crowd. "Hey, I think that's Leroy over there." he took Howard's hand and pulled him through the crowds. But when they got there, Leroy was nowhere to be seen.

"Why does he always disappear?" Howard asked.

"I dunno. Maybe he don't like me."

"How could anyone fail to like you? I think he's just got an incredibly busy life and his schedule's so packed he can only do things for a few seconds before he has to leave."

"You know, I musta taught you a few things, cause you're inventing excuses like a pro. Although it'd be better if you weren't making them for Leroy."

"Getting jealous, are you?" Howard raised his eyebrows at Vince, who pushed him playfully. They laughed and Vince wrapped an arm around Howard's waist before they dived into the fray.

**Want more? Reviews rock like marble or granite (so it's hard rock) :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm back again! Another chapter of what is basically pure, undiluted fluff. Hope you like it, cause I certainly liked writing it ;)**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, Yeah, don't remind me, I don't own the Boosh.**

By ten o clock, the warmth was beginning to leave the air and Vince shivered as they sat under the swathes of gossamer cloth. Howard wanted to put an arm around him, keep him warm, but they wanted to be careful. They hadn't told anyone yet. A fair few of the party-goers had left now, since the activity and noise had died down. Only about ten of them still stood around under the gazebo, where the air was slightly warmer and still sweet from the scented candles. No one had seen the hostess for a while, and in fact Vince and Howard hadn't seen her at all. Howard pulled his chair a little closer to Vince's so he could whisper:

"When do you think she'll get here?"

"She's here already. Probably in the house redoing her makeup or something. I dunno. Jada's always fashionably late."

"Since when has it been fashionable to be late?"

"Since forever, Howard. You just ain't fashion forward like this lot."

"Oh, great."

"That's not a bad thing! Well, it is sometimes. That's just what makes you who you are."

"Right. How late do you have to be to become unfashionable?"

"About an hour's acceptable. After that, it's just a bit rude."

"Okay then. Hopefully she won't be long." As it turned out, Jada wasn't long. She hurried into the garden a couple of minutes later, carrying a small black cat. She sat down in the chair next to Vince and placed the cat in her lap, where it began to purr.

"Hey, Vince." she said. "I haven't seen you yet. How are you?"

"Not so bad, thanks." he grinned. "Yourself?"

"Pretty good."

"Great. What's the cat called?" he asked, stroking it gently.

"Her name's Flicka."

"Flicka? Nice." Howard cleared his throat quietly, and realisation hit Vince's eyes. "Oh, yeah. Jada, this is Howard."

"Oh. Hi Howard." she smiled at him. "Your friend?"

"Bit more than that, to be honest." Vince said tensely.

"Yeah? Boyfriend, huh? Well, fair enough, nothing wrong with that." they both sighed with relief.

"You're the first person we've told, you know." Howard said.

"Really? You should tell the others. They'll accept it; I don't have any friends who would snigger at something like that."

"Glad to hear it." Howard replied.

"Can you get them to listen?" Vince asked.

"Sure." Jada picked up a spoon from the table and rapped it on the metal surface, frightening Flicka away. "Oops." Jada said, but then spoke to her guests. "Okay, hi everyone, nice to see you all. I don't know how many of you already know them, but this is Vince and Howard, and they want to talk to you for a few minutes. So... Here they are." Howard stood up, closely followed by Vince. For the first time that evening they allowed themselves to hold hands, the comfort this offered calming their nerves.

"Hey everyone." Vince began. "How you all doing? Listen, we got something to tell you, and it ain't easy, so just... You know. Be nice."

"It's a pretty big thing." Howard continued. "And it's taken us a long time to pluck up the courage. But you know... Here goes."

"Basically, it's like this." Vince said. "We're together now. I mean, like, official couple together. I guess there isn't that big a gap between best friend and boyfriend. But whatever. If you don't like it, fine, but keep it to yourself." there was silence for a few moments as they looked around at the small crowd. Then someone started to clap, then someone else, and soon they were receiving a full-blown round of applause. People came over to them as they sat back down. A man neither of them even knew came over and said:

"That was really brave of you two. Well done." After most of the others had gone back to their seats or places around the edges, Jada hugged them both.

"See? Told you it would be alright. I'm happy for you two; you make a very cute couple." Howard smiled and wrapped his arm around Vince, who was laughing ecstatically. They hugged enthusiastically, ignoring the 'aaw's from some of the other guests. If this was how it was going to be, they knew it would be good.

**So, whatcha think? Let me know! Much love x**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Final chapter! Noooo... I had so much fun writing this, cause it's cute and fluffy. Also, this chapter was going to be fairly short, cause there's not much of a story really, but it just kept coming, so now it's sort of average. And I apologise for the cliches. I'm really bad at avoiding them. But, anyway, I hope you enjoy it :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Mighty Boosh, although in my head I do...**

It had been a month since the garden party, and Vince and Howard were crammed into the Boosh van with their friends. Jada had invited them on a camping trip near the beach, along with four other friends. However, Danny, who was going to drive them, had pulled out, so now Howard sat at the steering wheel, laughing along with the others. Vince sat in the front passenger seat, and Jada, her boyfriend Ben, Keeley and Leo sat in the back. They were headed for a very secluded beach that Jada said would be empty and quiet, giving them peace to do what they wanted. So far they had been travelling for two and a half hours, with Howard stopping in a lay-by every so often to consult either Jada or a map. Eventually, however, they drove over a hill to see a blue haze in the distance.

"I can see the sea!" Vince crowed.

"Oh, it looks so pretty." Keeley sighed.

"It's even better up close." Jada assured her.

"So how far have we got to go now?" Leo asked.

"Not far. Twenty minutes or so?" Howard guessed.

"Good. I'm actually quite excited now." Ben smiled.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, they pulled up in a sandy car park. They unloaded the tents and sleeping bags from the back of the van and locked it. Vince looked up.

"Why is there a forest near a beach?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, Vince." Jada said. "It's really pretty, though. Come on." She led the way around the car park and into the trees. The sun dappled through huge pine trees, casting shadows on their faces as they ventured on like explorers in the rainforest. The path to the beach was highlighted with raised wooden walkways winding around the trees. However, Jada said:

"I know a better place for us to pitch our tents." She hopped off the walkway and waited for the others to copy before heading off into the woods. Vince and Howard hung back a little way, still following, but far enough back that they could talk privately.

"So, what do you think?" Vince asked.

"About what?" Howard replied.

"This place. It's amazin', isn't it?"

"It's beautiful. And we haven't even gotten to the beach yet."

"I know. I'd like to live somewhere like this one day. I mean, the city's alright, but… it's so quiet here. I like it."

"I know what you mean. I wouldn't mind living here." Vince smiled up at him and Howard wrapped an arm around the smaller man's shoulders.

"Howard?" Vince said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Where have they all gone?" They looked around, realising they had gotten a bit too far behind and lost the others.

"Oh… balls." Vince laughed.

"C'mon, we'd better find them." He pulled Howard along, searching for their friends. Eventually, Jada came to their rescue after finally realising they were missing.

"You two are so quiet, we didn't notice you were gone."

"We aren't usually so quiet. You're lucky we ain't causin' a commotion."

"Yeah, well. Come on, come and see what we found." She led them back to the others. They sat in a large clearing that would be invisible from outside the forest. In the centre was a huge fire pit, currently empty of all but ashes, and three benches around it seemingly carved from the pine trees.

"Whoa." Vince grinned like a child, eyes lighting up at this new sight. Howard was in a similar state of awe.

"How did you know this was here?" He asked Jada.

"When I was younger, I came here with my parents, and this is where we camped then."

"It's… I don't know. I can't even describe it." Vince said.

"I know. I love it here." She smiled. "Listen, the boys want to go and explore. Shall we all go?"

"Yeah, why not?" Howard said. They left their tents in the clearing ("Don't worry, no one ever comes here anymore." Jada said), and headed for the path again. When they reached it, they began to follow it to the beach. The sun had gone in, but the day was still hot, and it wasn't long before Vince took off his shirt. They could see the soil getting sandier as they got near the beach, and Jada led them to the very top of a sand dune. They looked over the sea and the sand in awed silence, captivated by the view. Jada laughed at the looks on their faces and ran down the dune. Howard and Vince followed suit, as did the others. Vince slipped and went most of the way down on his bum. Howard laughed and helped him up when he reached the bottom.

"Ugh, I've got sand in my jeans." Vince said. He jumped up and down, trying to dislodge it, but gave up when it didn't help.

"So, what's next?" Keeley asked.

"Well, why don't we split up for a bit?" Howard said. "We can go and look around where we want to then."

"Yeah, good idea, Howard." Jada said. "I'll go with Ben, I guess you'll go with Vince, and Keeley and Leo can go together." Keeley blushed and ducked her head, but happily walked off with Leo.

"They've fancied each other for a while; hopefully now they can sort it out between them." Jada said.

"You're a matchmaker, aren't you?" Howard said.

"Yeah, well. Keeley moons after him a lot. I thought it was only fair. Anyway, we're going back that way-" She pointed. "-so we'll meet you back here later, okay?"

"Yeah, alright." She and Ben wandered off and Vince and Howard were left standing on the beach, looking out at the distant sea.

"You said that so we could be on our own, didn't you?" Vince asked.

"Yes." Howard replied.

"Thanks for that."

"My pleasure, little man." He turned towards Vince and they kissed. They didn't really know where to go now, so they just wandered for a while, Vince's arm tight around Howard's waist. They walked towards the sand dunes again, a little further up the beach this time. Vince looked up at the sky. The sun was now obscured with grey clouds. After looking up for a few seconds, he winced.

"What's up, little man?" Howard said worriedly.

"It just rained in my eye." Vince muttered.

Sure enough, droplets began to fall from the sky, faster and faster. Vince put his t-shirt back on, and they began to walk up the nearest sand dune, as though being higher up would benefit them. It began to pour down, changing the day quickly. But instead of heading for the shelter of the trees, they sat down on top of the dune and watched the rain fall.

"Aren't you worried about your hair?" Howard asked.

"I'm not worried about _anything_ anymore." Vince said, leaning on Howard's shoulder. "Howard, you ought to know something. I worried about how I looked so much because of _you_. You were always there and I _always_ wanted to look good so you liked me. And then I realised you liked me anyway, and I liked to look nice. The hair thing though, that was always you. I mean, I still look after it, but if it gets rained on: No big deal."

"Oh. That was really what it was?"

"That was what it was."

"Oh. Thank you."

"Howard?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

**Aww. Still a bit cliched though. Ah well. Reviews would be colossally brilliant :)**

**Oh, and next update should be either Return of the Boosh or the end of Lost Souls. Byee!**


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